Cars Candy-O CD

Live Recording

The Cars: Ric Ocasek (vocals, guitar); Ben Orr (vocals, bass); Elliot Easton (guitar, background vocals); Greg Hawkes (keyboards, background vocals); David Robinson (drums).
Digitally remastered by Joe Gastwirt.
Since the Cars had created a perfect album with their 1978 self-titled debut, it would be nearly impossible to top it. Instead of laboring long and hard over a follow-up like many '70s bands did after a huge commercial success, the band cranked out their sophomore effort, Candy-O, almost exactly one year later from the first LP. And while the album was not as stellar as its predecessor was, it did contain several classics, resulting in another smash album that solidified the band's standing as one of the most promising new bands of the late '70s. The first single, the Top 20 anthem "Let's Go," proves to be the best track, but plenty of other standouts can be found as well. The title track remains one of the band's best rockers, while the gentle "It's All I Can Do" also deserved to be a hit. The band pays tribute to T. Rex on "Dangerous Type" (the main guitar riff resembles "Bang a Gong"), rocks out on "Got a Lot on My Head" and "Night Spots," shows their softer side on "Since I Held You," and embraces modern pop on "Double Life" and "Lust for Kicks." Their second strong release in a row, Candy-O proved that the Cars were not one-hit wonders, like so many other bands from the same era. ~ Greg Prato
On their second album, the Cars take a small step to the left. While remaining a solidly mainstream new wave band (as they would throughout their career), the group gets a bit artier on CANDY-O, with impressive results. Like many of their peers, the band began to accentuate the angular, electronic/futuristic aspect of their sound, exploiting its inorganic quality for maximum irony and detachment.
On "Got a Lot on My Head" and "Double Life," Ric Ocasek seems ever more the alienated geek content to crack wise in a world he made from a do-it-yourself science kit. Ben Orr lends a slightly more emotive (but no less ominous) feel to the glossy, metallic surface of the title tune and the infectious "Let's Go." Ocasek's hipness quotient is displayed in the unconventional "Shoo Be Doo," a short, strange homage to his heroes/pals Suicide.

CMJ (1/5/04, p.6) - Ranked #5 in CMJ's "Top 20 Most-Played Albums of 1979".